Our Favorite Laptop Backpacks

We hold our bags to the same high standards as everything else we review and buy, and while we’d like to pick a “best backpack,” we know it’s impossible to make one pick that fits most people’s style, budget, body type, and carrying needs. What we can do is highlight a few of our favorite bag models and brands, drawn from the hundreds that we’ve come across during our combined decades of bag reviewing and personal ownership.

Six months ago:
L.L.Bean has confirmed that it has discontinued the Commuter Ballistics Day Pack, so we’ve removed that model from our section on backpacks for work (and tech).

Seven months ago:
Since it’s been almost a year since we initially published this guide, we’ve come back and added some longer-term impressions about how our favorite backpacks have held up over time.

12 months ago:
We recently noticed that Speck’s MightyPack—previously our runner-up pick for the most versatile laptop bag—was unavailable on Amazon and Speck’s website. We reached out to Speck, and the company confirmed that the bag has been discontinued. A new pick will take its place in this guide’s next update, but in the meantime we still think the MightyPack is a great, comfortable, protective laptop bag if you can find it. The Tom Bihn Synapse 19 remains the most versatile laptop bag we’ve tested.

There are many great bags in the world, and this list isn’t exhaustive. But after testing hundreds of bags over the course of our careers, these are the ones we would personally recommend to our own friends and family. Also, we’ve focused on bags that cost less than $250 because if you spend more than that, you’re almost guaranteed to get something good. It’s more about what fits your personal style. We’ve tried our best to make recommendations for a wide variety of styles, budgets, and uses, but if we’re missing something, please let us know in the comments or on Twitter. We’ve also included links to some of our favorite bag-review sites in the Sources list at the bottom if you want to dig deeper. Finally, although this article focuses on specific models, in many cases, you should be able to apply the conclusions we make about one bag to other models from the same brand.

Who it’s for: If you work in an office with a business-casual dress code, you need a bag that won’t make you look like you just came from a college class and has room for everything you need for work as well as getting there (and back). The Incase Icon has a refined design that looks good no matter how much you put in it or what you wear it with, pockets to fit an entire home office, and ergonomic features to make it comfortable enough to wear for an extended period even when totally full.

Want a sneak peek at what we're working on?

A weekly roundup of new guides, picks, and a preview of what’s to come.

Why it’s great: The Incase Icon manages to pack an almost absurd amount of organization and storage into a backpack that maintains the clean lines that are a must in a more refined backpack. It’ll fit everything you need without looking bulbous or rumpled, will still be comfortable to wear after a long day, and won’t look like a holdover from your school days. It even looks and feels great when paired with a blazer, as we did for a day while lugging stuff to and from coffee shops. It’s also stable, so when you put it on the ground, you know it won’t fall over.

The Icon is as ergonomic as it is organized, too. A sternum strap, excellent back padding, and thoughtful adjustment points on the shoulder straps make the Icon comfortable to wear even when heavily loaded. The large number and array of pockets mean that you can load a huge amount into it. I packed it with a 13-inch MacBook Air with power supply, an iPad, an iPhone 6, lightning cables, Apple’s larger USB wall wart, a camera, a notebook, pens, headphones, a wallet, sunglasses, moisturizer, keys, a Zojirushi travel mug, and a gadget organizer loaded with an audio recorder, a portable USB battery, USB cables, memory sticks, and SD cards. Even with all of this there was room to spare. The thoughtfully placed padding distributes the load well and means that even after a long day of lugging around a laptop, notebooks, books, and various accessories, the Icon will still be relatively comfortable to wear.

A bag’s aesthetics are inherently a personal choice and depend a lot on your own style. But given how much it can hold, the Incase Icon looks clean, sharp, and well-formed. “Strangers stop me on the street and in the subway to ask about it because it looks sleek and isn’t bulky for what it can hold,” said Sweethome staff writer Lesley Stockton, who has been using the Slim version for almost a year now. It doesn’t have an excess of dangling straps, and the limitation on external pockets means it won’t deform when you slide in one more thing.

Pockets and organization: Organization is really the Icon’s strength. If you’re the sort of person who carries a large number of individual items around, the Icon is a dream bag. It has a huge number of individual pockets and organizational sections, designed to hold everything from pens to keys to tablets to headphones to smartphones. By our count it has 21 different pockets and sections—enough for anyone who needs to take their office with them. Lesley has found the hip-level triangular pouches particularly helpful for storing stuff she wants handy—such as a public-transit card or keys—when her outfit lacks pockets.

The Icon has a dedicated laptop section that can hold a laptop as large as 15 inches. But the bag also has a second dedicated compartment, reached from the side of the bag, just for holding tablets. One of the hip pockets has a green interior for easily seeing what’s inside and has a headphone/cable pass-through. Add to that a faux-fur-lined pocket for your phone, in addition to penholders, a key clip, and miscellaneous pockets of different sizes and seal types, and you have individual locations for everything you own. You’ll know exactly where to go to grab your notebook, your headphones, or your power cable.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: The Incase Icon’s strengths in design also lead to its biggest flaws—namely a fit that won’t work for everyone and surprising bulk. The Icon’s clean lines necessitate a fairly rigid outer structure. That means that the bag doesn’t get any smaller when it’s empty—and as you load it up with all your gear, you may be surprised at how heavy it is when you lift it. All that storage space means you’re lugging a lot of weight.

Since the Icon doesn’t have external side pockets, you have to stash your water bottle inside the bag. That keeps the bag’s lines nice and clean, but puts its contents at risk. At least the Icon is stable enough that it probably won’t tip over. We also would’ve liked to see YKK zippers, but the ones they used are very smooth.

Even the best padding won’t make up for a bag that won’t sit on your body right. The shoulder straps, while comfortable on my 6′2″ frame, are not for everyone. A 5′2″ tester found that they hit her neck uncomfortably high, hit her lower back awkwardly low, and were too wide. There’s not enough room for adjustment to substantially shift the fit.

It looks the same and has most of the same pockets, but its lack of a dedicated laptop compartment slims it down, and the flexible back panel is more accommodating for shorter torsos.

The Incase Icon Slim is an inch narrower and shallower than the Icon, but it still has almost all the great pockets and organization features. The only pocket it lacks is a dedicated laptop compartment with a separate zipper. Otherwise, it’s mostly the same bag, just a touch slimmer. The other big difference is that the back panel is made of more-flexible mesh panels as opposed to the sculpted, semirigid affair on the regular Icon. This feature lets it conform more easily to bodies with shorter or narrower torsos. It also makes sense as an option for anyone turned off by how aggressively big the Icon is—since the Icon doesn’t shrink when empty, it’s always this enormous black cube to lug on your back. The Slim is also a bit more affordable. —Tim Barribeau, cameras editor

The Booq Cobra is a sleeker alternative to the Icon, but lacks some of the design refinement.

If you’re turned off by the Icon’s bulk and overall squareness, but still want something that’s refined enough for work and has pockets galore, consider the Booq Cobra Squeeze. Unlike the Icon, the Cobra (and its more affordable sibling the Boa Squeeze, which is made of different material) was designed as a curve as opposed to a rectangle. This shape trades off some capacity and the ability to stand upright for a reduction in visual bulk. It’s made of a water-resistant fabric and uses YKK zippers throughout. The overall package looks much sleeker compared with the Icon or the now-discontinued L.L.Bean Commuter Ballistics Day Pack (a former pick), but it’s neither the most economical design nor the best value.

While not quite as pocket-heavy as the Icon, the Cobra still has more than enough for most people, and it includes nice touches such as an elastic strap in the corner of the laptop section to keep the laptop anchored, and a clip-in dongle for your key ring. The heavily padded and well-ventilated back is very comfortable, even when fully packed with the same load I put in the Icon. I wore the Cobra over the course of a warm and sunny day that included walking multiple 20-minute stretches. While the Cobra looked good paired with a casual blazer, its stiff straps partially pulled my blazer off my shoulders when I tried to take off the backpack. Whether this happens to you will depend on your jacket, but you can expect issues with more stiffly structured garments.

A shorter tester also found that it sat much more comfortably on her back without digging into her neck the way the Incase Icon and L.L.Bean Commuter did. She also said the Cobra ended in a more pleasant place on her mid-back. However, the lack of a sternum strap and waist belt means it doesn’t deal as well with heavier loads as other bags. —Tim Barribeau, cameras editor

Who it’s for:The North Face’s Pivoter is the ideal backpack for the urban commuter who wants to stop off at the gym on the way home from work. It is roomy enough to stash anything you’d normally carry in a shoulder bag or briefcase—laptop, notebook, phone, keys, books—plus a change of clothes, a pair of a shoes, and water. And it all fits in a package that looks professional enough to blend in at most workplaces.

Why it’s great: Many laptop/gym bags focus on just the laptop and gym parts of the name but forget about the little things that you need throughout the day, such as pens, cables, and earbuds. The Pivoter solves this by putting a fully featured laptop bag with an integrated sleeve and organizer in the compartment closest to your back, and a cavernous, duffel-like compartment that swallows clothes and shoes on the front. So while your work and workout stuff are kept separately, they still carry together harmoniously.

Unlike many of the bags I looked at in this category, the Pivoter is available in both men’s and women’s models. I found the women’s version the most comfortable of the backpacks I considered, even when fully loaded, thanks to the adjustable chest strap and the thick, cushy shoulder straps that are contoured in the right places. The padded back has an air vent running down the center to help prevent back-sweat buildup too. The otherwise comfortable Arc’teryx Cordova noticeably lacks the chest strap and air vent.

The Pivoter is also a great value: It’s $100 cheaper than many similar (but smaller) backpacks and comes backed by The North Face’s lifetime warranty.

Pockets and organization: The most important characteristic of a single bag for gym and work is whether it keeps your stinky, wet gym clothes and shoes separate from your expensive electronics. The Pivoter handles this task expertly: The compartment worn closest to the back lets you slide a laptop as large as 15 inches into a padded sleeve, and a front compartment zips open in a D-shape—like a duffel—to hold clothes and shoes. At 27 liters, this bag’s front compartment fit my women’s size 7 running shoes, socks, yoga pants and top, and a full-size towel. The two exterior side pockets are handy for stowing a water bottle and an insulated coffee mug—most laptop/gym bags only have one such pocket.

As for the organizational details, the laptop sleeve in the interior section is padded and stops short of the bag’s bottom (which keeps the computer from getting sharply jostled when the bag is set down). Facing the laptop sleeve are a pair of pen-size pockets and two square pockets (one solid, one net) for keys, lip balm, wallet, phone, sunglasses, earbuds, etc. While you could get this type of organizer on the Tom Bihn Smart Alec as well, you would have to pay extra. There’s also a wide, shallow, zippered compartment and a Velcroed slip that could fit anything from a manila envelope to a notebook or tablet. If that’s not enough, there’s an additional zippered pocket on the outside of the clothes/shoes compartment for stuff you want to access quickly.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: It’s not the sleekest-looking bag in this category. The color scheme of the one I tested would be a little casual for some professional settings, but The North Face offers plenty of color combinations, including basic black on black. The bag’s polyester material is also not waterproof or even water-resistant. And while we would’ve liked to see a bungee for attaching a yoga mat like you’d find on the Tom Bihn Smart Alec, a series of webbing loops on the front mean you can add your own if you want. —Erica Ogg, editor

Also consider:

This would look appropriate in any office setting and has three different compartments to keep laptops, clothes, and shoes separated.

The Duffel Pack from Aer is the grown-up, minimalist version of the laptop backpack for work and gym. Its sleek exterior is made of tough 1,680-denier ballistic nylon and comes in one color (black), and the bag can be carried as a backpack or duffel. Its 24-liter total capacity fits a laptop as large as 15 inches, and the waterproof, cavernous main compartment swallows a full change of clothes. Everything I put in the Pivoter easily fit in the Duffel Pack as well—although my 12-inch MacBook was swimming in the laptop sleeve. Best of all, the bottom of the bag has a separate, water-resistant and ventilated compartment that fits shoes up to men’s size 13.

Though the Aer’s large pockets are well-thought-out, there’s not much in the way of organization compared with the Pivoter. I also found it to be a bit too long and bulky to wear regularly (I’m 5-foot-7, with a higher waist) and the wide straps weren’t ideal, but anyone with a larger frame probably wouldn’t notice. The Duffel Pack does have an adjustable chest strap, though I couldn’t find a comfortable clasping position. Men likely wouldn’t have the same issue. When this guide was first published, we noted that a major downside of this pick was the fact that it didn’t come with an official warranty policy. The company said, “[We] proudly stand by the quality and craftsmanship of our bags and will do our best to either repair or replace defect bags.” Since testing, Aer has contacted us to let us know that it has implemented a lifetime warranty policy for all of its products.—Erica Ogg, editor

Jack-of-all-trades

Few backpacks are as comfortable, durable, and versatile. It switches effortlessly from a day pack to a laptop pack.

Who it’s for: If you want one bag that can do it all and you don’t mind a more outdoorsy look, this jack-of-all-trades also happens to be a master of most. Despite its unassuming appearance, the Tom Bihn Synapse 19 has enough organizational features to keep your gadgets and gear in their places, but it won’t weigh you down with pounds of unnecessary material and superfluous style. It’s versatile enough to be used as a commuter backpack, a day pack, a casual-hiking pack, or an everyday bag.

Why it’s great: I spent a long time (and more money than I care to admit) looking for a backpack that’s light, comfortable, versatile, and well-designed—in other words, one that I could turn to every day, no matter what I had planned. I’ve used the Synapse 19 for nearly six years as my primary laptop bag when commuting on the train or to the coffee shop, as my carry-on when flying, for hauling gear for myself and the kids, and as my everyday bag. Other than the expected visible wear, it’s still just as good as when it was new. (A few months ago I switched to a newer Synapse 19—which has a few minor design tweaks compared to my older Synapse—to test it for this review.)

The bag has a rugged, abrasion-resistant Cordura exterior, with a lighter but still tough Halcyon nylon interior and water-resistant YKK zippers. It also has comfortable, non-bulky shoulder straps that won’t snag your sweater, removable chest and waist straps, a thinly padded back panel, and O-rings inside every pocket for attaching keys or Tom Bihn’s various accessories for keeping small items from getting lost.

Pockets and organization: Though the Synapse 19 is comfortably compact, its large, divided main compartment can hold a surprising amount of gear and includes attachments for up to two of the company’s padded Cache laptop and tablet sleeves (up to 13 inches each). You can slide the sleeve out of the backpack—say, at a TSA checkpoint—without detaching the sleeve, or easily remove the sleeve completely. And I love that the traditional backpack design doesn’t scream “laptop inside!” Left and right exterior pockets can each hold an umbrella, sunglasses, or similar items, along with pens, business cards, and other small things, and the small top pocket is perfect for a phone or wallet.

One of my favorite features is a pocket for a water bottle or reservoir (up to 1 liter in size) positioned in the middle of the bag’s exterior: The bottle sits away from your body, doesn’t make one side of the bag heavier than the other, and remains easy to remove and replace. A wide pocket at the bottom of the bag can hold a rain jacket, a travel umbrella, a small food container, or (as is usually the case for me) a bunch of kid supplies, and the outside of that compartment sports a strap for a clip-on light, so motorists can see you when you’re biking or walking at night.

For even more pockets, Tom Bihn’s Freudian Slip fits snugly inside and provides a nifty two-sided organizational panel that you can slide out without removing its contents. For more capacity, Tom Bihn offers the Synapse 25, which is the same design as the Synapse 19 in a size that offers 30 percent more volume and can hold larger laptops.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: If you’re looking for trendy style, the plain Synapse isn’t it. The flip side of this design is that it’s lighter—by a pound or more—than many “stylish” packs. The back padding is also traditional-backpack flat, so your back can get sweaty in hot weather—although the mesh padding does help. And, of course, the Synapse is more expensive than many nylon backpacks, especially if you add the price of a Cache sleeve for your laptop or tablet and a Freudian Slip organizer. However, Tom Bihn’s quality and design are top-notch, and you get a lifetime warranty. Even better, you may never need to use that warranty. —Dan Frakes, senior editor

Also consider:

After noticing that the Speck MightyPack was unavailable on Amazon and on Speck’s website, we reached out to Speck, and the company confirmed that the bag has been discontinued. Speck launched a new line of bags over the summer and plans to release more in the new year. We will revisit this category in this guide’s next update. If you can find the MightyPack, though, we still recommend it for its versatility and affordable price tag.

The MightyPack didn’t have chest or waist straps or a place for a water bottle, and it looked more like a traditional laptop backpack than many of the other packs featured here. But it was a comfortable, protective pack at a good price—it usually sold for less than half the cost of the Synapse 19. The MightyPack’s headline feature was an expandable, hard-shell exterior compartment about the size of a brick; it was perfect for large headphones, a camera, or other bulky but fragile gear. Additionally, the bag had an abundance of pockets and organizational panels for devices and accessories, including dedicated padded sleeves for a laptop (up to 15 inches) and a tablet, along with a thickly padded base for extra protection when you’re dropping your laptop or tablet into the bag. We also appreciated the strategically placed slits for stringing cables between the various compartments so you could use a USB battery to power your stuff on the go, and a nifty battery-pack-size pocket positioned at your waist would, with a short cable, allow you to charge your phone while it was in your pocket. —Nick Guy, accessories writer; Dan Frakes, senior editor

Throwback styling

Grown-up materials combine with minimalist design and utilitarian features to make a backpack that’s equally at home in the office and in the urban outdoors.

Who it’s for: The office worker who kicks around city parks on weekends. The freelancer who occasionally heads to a boardroom. Traditionalists who like natural materials. Packers who don’t need lots of pockets.

Why it’s great: Everlane’s Modern Snap Backpack follows the company’s design philosophy: Make a limited number of products that work for lots of people, rather than multiple products each aimed at a narrow niche, and make them in a style that will stay current through multiple fashion cycles. The bag also reflects Everlane’s commitment to good value. While it is not the most durable, nor the fanciest, nor the most impeccably constructed bag available, it is very, very good on all these points, which makes it great for the price. Simply put, it’s a functional, affordable, sophisticated, unisex backpack.

The Modern Snap’s cotton twill exterior currently comes in several subdued shades, including dark green, navy, silvery gray, and solid black (colors do rotate in and out of the lineup, however), and all of them are sharp enough to pass muster in an office environment. One important element of this bag is the design of the shoulder straps: They’re seamless, low-profile extensions of the twill exterior, rather than the heavily padded technical straps that often mar the otherwise classic design of bags in this category. Yet the straps are also extremely comfortable.

I stuffed a pair of 11EE sneakers, a bulky cotton hoodie, a pair of nylon board shorts, a sunglasses case, a thick hardcover book, my phone, a 15-inch MacBook, a charger for each, and a 16-ounce bottle of water into the Everlane. Small items like a toothbrush, mints, and a couple of pens could also have found room. You can’t go camping with this bag, but you can move from café to office to gym during the week, and from bookstore to flea market to picnic on weekends.

Price, again, is a real plus: The Modern Snap Backpack was by far the least expensive in our category. You could buy two for the cost of its nearest competitor in our review.

Pockets and organization: Inside the Modern Snap Backpack there’s just a single pocket: an open-topped, padded laptop slot. It’s big enough for a blocky first-generation 15-inch MacBook and will easily accommodate any modern 15-incher plus an iPad or other tablet. The bag’s main compartment is a simple squared-off cylinder closed with a cinch cord and sheltered by a flap lid. The lid snaps closed—a far faster and far less fussy closure than buckles. The cylinder expands or contracts to accommodate varying loads, and the lid adjusts to accommodate them as well. While the top-loading approach isn’t as conveniently accessible as a full-perimeter zipper, it imparts a visual neatness no matter how flaccid or overstuffed the main compartment is.

Outside, there’s a deep, zippered rear pocket big enough for most books and/or e-readers. Two open-top slot pockets (one on either side of the main compartment) complete the package. The pockets will accept a 16-ounce bottle of water or can of beer (I checked), but are also snug enough to keep a good-sized smartphone (I have a Nexus 5x) or sunglasses case relatively safe from thieving fingers.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: If compartmentalization is your thing, this is not the bag for you. Same if you live in a rainy area: Cotton absorbs water readily, and though the Modern Snap also has a woven cotton-poly lining, it’s not built to repel a downpour. Cotton also stains easily, so the dark-colored versions will mask but not hide dirt. And while we see the aesthetic appeal of a clean back panel, we’d prefer a ventilated one to help alleviate back sweat in the summer. Finally, this isn’t really a flaw, but know that the Modern Snap is at best a small day pack or minimal overnight bag for light travelers. If you pack for every eventuality, you’ll need something larger. —Tim Heffernan, Sweethome editor

Also consider:

Tough-as-nails construction and a clever bellows pocket make it practical, a lifetime guarantee and the Filson badge give it a premium price.

The Filson Journeyman shares its basic, highly functional design with the Everlane, but is made out of one of the toughest, most renowned materials available. Filson’s waxed-cotton “Tin Cloth” exterior provides much better waterproofing than the Everlane’s plain cotton, and if my past experience with Filson gear is anything to go by, the Journeyman will survive anything you throw at it. I once had a job bucking hay bales for a hundred head of cattle, work that ate through a pair of double-layer Carhartts within a few weeks. A friend lent me a pair of Tin Cloth pants that not only lasted the eight remaining weeks of the gig, but came out the other end looking as good as they did when I first put them on. That was in 1997, and while my hay-bucking days are over, the friend I borrowed the pants from continues to use his Filson gear on similarly tough jobs two decades later.

The Journeyman has a main compartment with a padded slot big enough for a 15-inch laptop, a large rear exterior pocket, and not many other bells and whistles. That rear pocket has a cool bellows design, though: It snaps flat when empty or lightly loaded and expands to a generous 3-inch depth when you need it. Instead of external side pockets—meaning there’s no place to stash a water bottle outside—the bag has an internal zippered slot handy for a passport, a phone, and a notebook. And instead of a cinch-and-flap closure, a beefy brass YKK zipper runs halfway around the bag’s perimeter, giving direct access to almost the bottom of the bag.

Another nice feature: The Journeyman is lined with light-tan fabric, making it much easier to see the objects inside. Most dark-colored bags, including the dark Everlanes, are lined with matching or plain black fabric. The Journeyman is comfortable, too, and comes with a lifetime guarantee against “failure or damage in its intended usage” as well as against defects in materials and workmanship. The downside? You pay for this sort of quality: Its MSRP recently jumped from $270 to $320. —Tim Heffernan, Sweethome editor

Also consider:

A style-conscious backpack that doesn’t sacrifice design for ergonomics, gadget-friendly details, or a low price tag.

If the Everlane’s muted tones aren’t your thing, odds are good that one of the Herschel Supply Co. Little America’s 50 seasonally updating colorways will fit your style. Like the Everlane, the Herschel has a top-flap design that expands as it fills, while maintaining an elegant profile that looks great on men and women alike. But unlike the Everlane (or the Filson) you don’t have to sacrifice ergonomic features like mesh-padded, contoured shoulder straps and a ventilated back panel to get that canvas-and-leather aesthetic. Other modern touches such as a media pocket with a dedicated cable port and a padded 15-inch laptop sleeve make it feel like a modern backpack despite its retro styling. And the bag can frequently be had for less than $100, which makes it a great value too.

While the Little America’s price, features, and styling win it a lot of fans, not everyone will be satisfied by the durability of its polyester exterior. It isn’t as wear-resistant or water-resistant as nylon, so we recommend getting a darker color that will hide scuffs better. Likewise, I’ve found that the synthetic-leather straps and detailing, while vegan-friendly, tend to curl up over time. Although upgrading to one of the $150-plus colorways will get you better materials and real-leather detailing, that price pushes it out of budget-friendly territory. That being said, I’ve been using the same black Little America since 2013 for commuting to work daily, traveling with it via plane/train/bus for up to two weeks at a time, and at one point living out of it for a month while waiting for a moving truck and apartment to line up, and it’s still in fantastic condition. If anything does go wrong, Herschel recently expanded its warranty coverage to a limited lifetime warranty. While it explicitly does not cover wear and tear, it never hurts to ask, and the only requirement to submit a claim is a photo of the damage. —Sasha VanHoven, social media producer

Weatherproof commuter

Basically a comfortable bucket you wear on your back. That’s a lot more useful than it sounds.

Who it’s for: The Mission Workshop Sanction is as sleek as it is tough and resists water from all angles, which makes it perfect for bike commuters and people who live in rainy climates. But commuters of all varieties will appreciate its slim profile that lets you squeeze through crowds and its ability to overload in a pinch to accommodate the winter jacket that, in retrospect, you really didn’t need to wear today.

Why it’s great: The Sanction is everything a modern rucksack should be: simple, rugged, and comfortable. Don’t be deceived by its scant 20-liter capacity. Its fold-over closure system—secured by a combination of plastic buckles and Velcro—expands naturally when unfolded to accommodate overloads, and slims down when there’s not much stuff in it (with no additional compression straps required), which makes it a much more elegant solution compared to the cinch-cord or roll-top designs found on many similar bags. The fold-over design also provides extra water resistance to the handy external pockets that keep essential items within easy reach when secured. The bag hits the sweet spot of having just enough features and ergonomic touches to be an everyday pack without going overboard and spoiling the simplicity of the open-top rucksack design.

Most lifetime warranties for bags mean that the company will fix it when it breaks; for the Sanction, the company will fix it if it breaks—but it probably won’t break. In addition to using the bag as my daily commuter (which means it’s taken a few falls off my bike), I’ve taken it on trips to four different continents in the four years I’ve owned it and it still looks as good as new after a good scrubbing.

The Sanction’s ergonomics are basic, but effective. Its wide shoulder straps are well-padded and do a good job of distributing weight for men and women, across a variety of body types. After wearing the bag for an afternoon while working in the test kitchen, Sweethome staff writer Lesley Stockton declared it “the gold standard for comfort that I’d compare all other bags to.” The padding on the straps and back panel is made of ventilating mesh, which goes a long way toward managing back sweat. You can immediately tell the difference when switching to a similar bag without the mesh, like the Topo Designs Rover. There’s also a sternum strap for keeping things secure if you need to run somewhere fast, and an optional waist belt to handle heavier loads.

The original Sanction comes in only four dark colors: black, gray, olive, and charcoal. But we recommend upgrading to the new HT500 (pictured above), if it’s available, because you get a denser material that feels nicer against the hand and a sleek Arkiv closure system (aluminum clasps that slide onto nylon rails instead of the plastic buckles normally used to close bags). If you want something even more premium, you can get it in a super-tough sailcloth-backed material with the Arkiv closure. The bags also are available periodically in limited-edition colors such as camo and materials such as waxed canvas. While the marketing suggests that it’s a male-oriented bag, we find it looks great on women too.

Pockets and organization: If you’re the kind of person who likes to have a pocket for each gadget, this is not the bag for you. While it does have some surprisingly modern touches, such as a tablet pouch, the majority of your belongings go directly into the cavernous main compartment that opens up like a bucket. Within that compartment there’s no internal organization to speak of, aside from a zippered, integrated 15-inch laptop pocket. But the Sanction does offer enough compartments to keep the important things easily accessible. There’s a Velcro-sealed pouch in the front that’s a good size for holding a USB battery, phone charger, or other small but thick items. Then there are two thin, zippered pockets that extend across the front of the bag and are usually covered by the front flap when it’s closed. The top pocket is shallow, which makes it great for storing pens and charging cables. The bottom pocket is much deeper and better suited to a Moleskine-sized notebook or e-reader—smaller things can slide to the bottom and become difficult to reach. Then behind the two zippered pockets is a zipperless pouch that’s the perfect size for an iPad or other similarly sized tablet.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: If anything, the Sanction is a bit too tough for its own good. At 2.6 pounds empty, it weighs a full pound more than the similarly sized, but much more fully featured Tom Bihn Synapse 19. Much of the Sanction’s weight comes from the heavy-duty waterproof liner, which is invaluable for bike commuters but is overkill for walking around town. The bag’s integrated laptop compartment could be better thought out. It lacks padding of any kind, and you can’t access your computer without opening the whole bag. Finally, while its 20-liter capacity and ability to overload can fit most daily carry kits, it is still a bit on the small side. There’s a larger, 40-liter version called the Fitzroy, but it is quite large-looking on anyone who’s under six feet tall and you lose the slim profile that makes the Sanction so appealing. —Michael Zhao, editor

A separately accessible, fully padded laptop compartment and built-in cable organizer make this more tech friendly.

If you want a bag that has bike-commuter style but is designed to accommodate all your gadgets, check out the Thule Paramount 24. Its reliance on zippers for every pocket means it won’t be as water-resistant or durable over time as the Sanction, but it does have a 25-year warranty.

The main reason to get the Paramount instead of the Sanction is its tech-oriented design. It has one of the best laptop compartments we’ve ever seen. In addition to being fully padded and accessible without opening the main compartment, it has a semirigid skeleton built in to protect laptops up to 15.6 inches wide from minor falls. There’s also a padded tablet sleeve on the interior of the main compartment. Another great feature is a side zipper that gives you easy access to the full length of the main compartment. While traveling in Brazil, I truly appreciated being able to pull my toiletry kit and a clean pair of socks out from under the rest of my clothes after back-to-back red-eye plane and bus trips. The Paramount’s front pocket features a well-thought-out cable/gadget organizer for keeping track of all the doodads needed to keep your gear charged and ready. Ergonomics are another highlight. The bag’s sculpted back panel and mesh shoulder straps are breathable and comfortable on my 6′1″ frame and my partner’s 5′5″ frame. Overall, it’s a great bag, but the prominent logo and the fact that it’s only available in black might be a turnoff for some. —Michael Zhao, editor

Also consider:

This organized pack is comfortable on your back and attaches securely to your bike rack, but looks geeky.

The Arkel Bug Pannier Backpack won’t win any style awards, but its bike-friendly organizational features and back-saving rack compatibility make it a great option for hardcore bike commuters. The Bug has room for a laptop (with an optional protective sleeve), a helmet, a U-lock, water bottles, and rain gear, with plenty of space to spare. The bag attaches to bikes securely via Arkel’s durable and effective Cam-Lock, which uses a combination of clips and bungees to prevent slippage in any direction, and a retractable strap-protector flap keeps loose straps from getting in your wheels while riding. The only major downside is that the Bug’s exposed weatherproof zippers won’t stand up as well against downpours as a bag with a roll-top or fold-over design. In our testing the zipper started leaking after 30 seconds under a shower. So get a rain cover if you live in a rainy climate. —Eve O’Neill, outdoors writer

Tactical and versatile

Designed by an Army Green Beret to be adaptable and tough as nails in the field, with a lifetime warranty to match. But it’s stylish enough to blend into the crowd at a hip café.

Who it’s for: Do you destroy backpacks through calamity or carelessness? Do you want a tough, rain-resistant backpack that has a large main compartment that can be modified with aftermarket pouches as needed? Then you want one of these.

Why it’s great: GoRuck’s GR1 was designed by a former Army Green Beret to be adaptable and tough as nails in the field and has the lifetime warranty to back it. But don’t let its military pedigree fool you. The GR1’s subtle styling means it performs just as well in the city on the way to a café as it does in hostile territory. I owned a 26-liter GR1 for two years before it was stolen in British Columbia. I replaced it with the 21-liter version of the bag (I’m a short fella) a little over a year and a half ago. Since then, it has been across Spain, was accidentally set on fire in Costa Rica, and has accompanied me to Mexico and up the side of an active volcano in Nicaragua. Where I go, it goes. It’s the best backpack I’ve ever owned.

The GR1 is made in the United States with 1,000-denier Cordura—that’s twice as dense as the 500-denier material used in many cheaper tactical bags, such as the Direct Action Gear Dragon Egg. The material will feel stiff when it’s new but will gradually soften over time, like leather or waxed canvas. While it’s not waterproof, 1,000-denier Cordura offers a significant amount of water resistance and will keep things inside the GR1 dry as a bone in even the most potent downpour. On the off chance that you manage to damage your GR1, GoRuck’s lifetime Scars replace-or-repair warranty will get it back in working order in no time.

You can also order the 21-liter iteration of the GR1 with curved straps designed to better accommodate breasts or larger chests. That you can order the GR1 in two different sizes and with two different styles of straps to customize your fit is a rarity for a tactical-style bag. Normally, larger or smaller sizes mean picking different designs—not so with the GR1. No matter which version of the straps you opt for, you’ll find them to be comfortable to wear. Measuring about 2 inches wide and stuffed with soft, pliable material, they make carrying heavy loads easy on the shoulders.

Pockets and organization: The GR1 comes with a large, padded compartment that’s big enough to hold a 15-inch laptop or a 3-liter hydration bladder. To help accommodate the latter, the compartment comes equipped with a Velcro-sealed slot to pass a hydration hose through. The GR1’s spacious main compartment doesn’t have any organizational aids, save three pockets: a mesh-fronted zippered compartment that runs up the interior of the bag’s front, a smaller zippered pocket located just inside the compartment’s top, and a small elastic-topped pouch sewn into the back of the main compartment that’s perfect for holding a tablet and a portable keyboard. There’s also a slash pocket that runs across the pack’s front—it’s great for a smartphone, car keys, sunglasses, or energy bars.

If that’s not enough pockets, MOLLE webbing is sewn into the main compartment, exterior sides, and front of the pack. This makes it possible to add extra aftermarket pouches to your bag in whatever configuration works for you. GoRuck sells a few MOLLE pouches on its website, but just about any MOLLE-compatible accessory sized to fit into the bag will work too. The GR1 has enough attachment points to be useful, but not so many that it screams “tactical!” like similar offerings from Mystery Ranch and Kelty.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: Currently priced close to $300, the GR1 doesn’t come cheap. But this is a bag designed to withstand a lifetime of abuse, with a warranty to match. When it comes to a GoRuck product, you honestly get what you pay for.

As much as I love this bag, I’m not entirely thrilled with the design of the GR1’s exterior slash pocket. When the pack’s main compartment is full, the streamlined cut of the slash pocket is left with little room for stuffing items into it or getting them out. Careful packing, however, makes this a nonissue.

And let’s face it: While it looks less like a prop from Black Hawk Down than most tactical rucksacks, it is still more aggressive than your typical backpack. The GR1 might look at home in a coffee shop or in the backcountry, but bringing it into a boardroom might get you a few funny looks. —Séamus Bellamy, writer

More built-in organization than the GR1 at a fraction of the cost, but not as tough.

I personally prefer a platform that comes with as few pockets as possible, as that allows me to modify my pack according to my needs for a specific trip. But if you like the tactical aesthetic and prefer something with more internal-organization features, check out 5.11’s Rush 12 backpack. This 24-liter pack is subdivided into 16 separate compartments that include a space for a laptop or hydration bladder, the main compartment (along with a number of sewn-in mesh pockets inside it), a fleece-lined sunglasses case, and an organizer pocket for pens, keys, hard drives, or other small sundries. You’ll also find key fobs, retention straps, and—just as on the GR1—multiple MOLLE-style webbing attachment points throughout the bag. But all these pockets reduce flexibility when packing. And while the bag is made from materials similar to the GR1’s, the Rush doesn’t feel as durable by comparison—the GR1’s stitching, straps, and zippers all look and feel tougher. And while 5.11 has an excellent reputation for customer service, it doesn’t offer the free lifetime repair service that GoRuck does. So if you’re an idiot like me who accidentally burns a hole in a pack by setting it on a lit mosquito coil, you’re hosed. But the Rush typically sells for less than a third of the GR1’s price, which makes it a great value. —Séamus Bellamy, writer

Durable build and material quality combined with practical pockets. It’s the knapsack you carried to elementary school, all grown up.

Who it’s for: Nostalgia-inducing aesthetic? Check. Storied history? Check. Affordable for young people? Check. The Fjällräven Kånken Backpack is basically the ultimate hipster bag. But hipsters tend to like nice things, so maybe that’s not such a bad thing. This bag is best for urbanites and students who pack lightly.

Why it’s great: The original Kånken was designed for Swedish schoolchildren back in 1977, but its unique styling, excellent build quality, and handy tote straps earned it a cult following among adults that’s kept it in production all these years since. The updated Kånken Laptop retains the youthful charm and versatility of its namesake while gaining adult features such as a separate padded laptop compartment and extra padding on the straps to accommodate heavier loads. Its charming looks pair well with both men’s and women’s clothing and the bag comes in six different colors so you can find the best match for your wardrobe.

A big part of the Kånken’s aesthetic appeal is its unique Vinylon-F construction—Vinylon F is a material originally developed in Japan and popularized by North Korea. The fabric is water-resistant and hard-wearing, but fades in color as you use it. This fading gives the bag a handsome patina over time, as if it were made of leather or waxed canvas. The Kånken only has a two-year warranty, but the bag should last well beyond that. One Wirecutter editor’s girlfriend has had hers for four years and it looks even better now than it did brand new—all the seams remain fully intact despite withstanding two years of toting textbooks around a college campus.

Pockets and organization: While the Kånken looks simple from the outside, it actually has a surprising variety of pockets. The laptop compartment fits computers up to 15 inches and has a separate zipper so you don’t have to dig through a mess of junk to find the compartment. The main pocket is cavernous, thanks to its volume-maximizing rectangular shape. And the zippered exterior pouch on the front is perfect for things you need easy access to, like phone chargers. The twin bottle pockets (one on either side of the bag) are a bit narrow—a 27-fluid-ounce Klean Kanteen fits, but a 1-liter one doesn’t. The bottle pockets are also good for storing things like glasses or keys—as long as you don’t turn the bag upside down. The downside is that none of these pockets has internal organization features, so it’s not ideal for people who like to have a specific place for each gadget and accessory.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: The Kånken’s ergonomics are below average at best. The plain, skinny shoulder straps are more padded than the original Kånken’s, but that’s a low bar. There’s also no back-panel ventilation, so you’re going to work up a sweat on hot days unless you decide to carry it by its briefcase handles. If you’re the kind of person who carries a lot of stuff or values technical features over style, this isn’t the bag for you. —Michael Zhao, editor

Also consider:

A simple, American-made bag that looks great and has a lifetime warranty, but lacks organization.

If you like the idea of a simple, durable bag, but prefer a more classic American style, JanSport’s Right Pack may be the bag for you. In continuous production since 1990, the Right Pack is made of tough Cordura nylon (with a suede-leather bottom) and has a lifetime unconditional warranty to back it up—these bags are built to last. Though the Right Pack has a cavernous 31-liter capacity that can swallow whatever you put in it, operations assistant Thais Wilson-Soler notes that packing it to its limits made her feel like a turtle because the bag bulged so much.

Its simple styling and durable materials make the Right Pack a classic, but don’t expect many features, even compared to the already sparse Fjällräven. There’s no external laptop pocket (though they do have an internal sleeve) and no water-bottle pockets either. While the Right Pack’s straps are a bit more thickly padded than the Fjällräven’s and are plenty supportive, they aren’t breathable compared to more modern-styled bags. —Michael Zhao, editor

Messenger style

A svelte profile, comfortable ergonomics, and easy access make this design great for cyclists.

Who it’s for: Bike commuters and laptop warriors who would trade a bit of packing space for more color, an open top for occasional long parcels, and some San Francisco, messenger-bag styling. It won’t hold up to a downpour the way our weatherproof commuter pick will, however.

Why it’s great: After more than a month of daily use by two bike commuters in Boston and in Buffalo, New York, Rickshaw’s Sutro stood out as offering a good balance of size, usable shape and style (both when full and empty), just enough interior organization, bike-friendly features, comfort, and easy access. It comes in your choice of 16 standard colors, or (for $70 more) you can select from an additional 70 interior and exterior options, including seven waterproof finishes. The warranty policy is simple—“no reasonable request denied”—and Rickshaw will repair your bag if possible. Although this model is designed with biking in mind, it isn’t laden with things that intrude or look ostentatious in other settings.

Most everything goes in the main compartment, but a handy side zipper means you can easily get at items that you keep in the bottom (or those that sink there). Whether you are on a bike or on foot, that means you can grab a water bottle, an energy bar, or a wallet with a shoulder shrug and a quick unzip, rather than having to spin the whole bag around and pop open its buckles. Specifically for cyclists, discrete rows of daisy-chain loops are present on the straps and on the front for holding bike lights or a U-lock.

The bag and its lining are tough nylon, and both are easily cleaned with some dish soap and water, or a quick trip through a cold wash cycle. The shoulder straps and back panel are comfortably padded, and the strap positioning and width (in addition to a chest strap) keep the Sutro on your shoulders and in just the right spot. The stitching, the snaps, the YKK zippers, and the straps fit confidently together, and the whole bag keeps its shape whether lightly packed or full.

Pockets and organization: The main compartment holds 17.6 liters, but as on the weatherproof Sanction, the fold-over top expands to allow for larger packages or long items in a pinch—giving you perhaps 8 or 9 liters more. The only subcompartment inside is a 15-inch laptop sleeve with ample padding. The zippered front organizer pocket has two small open pockets; you could tuck an iPhone 6 Plus into one, and a few pens or USB sticks in the other. It offers more ways to keep track of your gear than the similarly styled Chrome Skarbek Daypack, which offers no closed or zippered subcompartments at all. But if you prefer a lot of organizational options for your gadgets, get the Timbuk2 Rogue instead.

Flaws but not dealbreakers: As we’ve pointed out, the Sutro lacks enough dedicated pockets for some people, it’s relatively small for a messenger-style bag, and its light weight comes at the expense of waterproofing (unless you pay extra for customization). The zippers are “splash-proof,” but the bag will let in water if you end up immersing it or if you ride in a downpour (we tested the splash resistance by packing the bag with paper towels). If you ride at night, you’ll need to add your own reflective trim. And although the back is padded, and felt fine during our 20-mile rides, it is not ventilated or channeled, so your back will most likely feel pretty damp after a long ride. Then again, we’ve also experienced shirt-sticking back sweat with the ventilated backs of the Chrome Skarbek and a Timbuk2 bag. On hot days, back sweat is best avoided with non-cotton clothing or strap adjustment. —Kevin Purdy, home-office editor and staff writer

Also consider:

The spiritual successor to the popular Swig has more organization features and pockets than the Sutro but doesn’t look as elegant.

Many readers asked us to test the Timbuk2 Swig, a longtime favorite among urban commuters, but the company has discontinued that in favor of more modernized styles. Fortunately, the new bags are pretty great, too. Timbuk2’s Rogue Laptop Backpack adds more pockets, more bike accessory loops, the added security of Velcro, and a bottle opener, yet it keeps a small, slim profile. The Rogue fits a 15-inch laptop in a Velcro-secured sleeve, and it has a lot of places to stash your stuff. All the extra pockets, loops, Velcro, elastic mesh pockets, and multiple colors give the bag a more modern, “laptop in here” look—and that might be fine, depending on your use.

The outward curve and narrow yoke of the straps induce them to slip off your shoulders while you’re walking without the chest strap attached. The stiff back can make the bag look a bit strange when only lightly filled, as if the Timbuk2 had a “belly.” And the Velcro, while secure and allowing for an optional roll-top closure, may catch clothing and attract lint. But those are not big compromises for many people, and at $80 currently, this model represents a significant discount from the Sutro. —Kevin Purdy, home-office editor and staff writer

Sources

A site written by bag aficionados for fellow aficionados. Carryology writes detailed reviews and has good photos. Though they review bags of all types, much of the coverage focuses on more boutique brands that are pushing the envelope of bag style and design. The site’s content is mostly male-oriented, with a preference for backpacks and a technical slant.

We help support the hundreds of hours that go into our evaluations through affiliate commissions on purchases made through our links. We’re committed to publishing unbiased guides that clearly detail our decision-making criteria to our readers, but we just want you to know.

Here's how to support our writers and our work. For more on our ethics, ideas and how we work, read this. We obtain the products we review through a mixture of buying our own and working with companies to borrow review units. Our policy is to return or donate products after we’re finished working with them.

Find an error?: Also, If you notice a guide that needs a little freshening up, or has errors, please tweet us at @wirecutter or email us at notes@thewirecutter.com and we'll fix it. Thank you.